Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Objective or Subjective Well-Being?

  • Reference work entry
Handbook of Child Well-Being

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the objective-subjective debate in defining and measuring child well-being. It starts by outlining the underlying philosophical perspectives and how this is reflected practically in conceptual and policy frameworks for child well-being. Particular attention is paid to the concepts of outcomes and risk and protective factors. This is followed by an analysis of approaches to measuring objective and subjective well-being. There is a focus on the use of standardized measures, illustrated by a brief case study of the application of such an approach. Next, the chapter considers some of the connections and contradictions between objective and subjective accounts of children’s lives. It then considers the functions of objective and subjective well-being data in policy and practice and how these can be enhanced. The final section includes observations about where the debate on objective vs. subjective well-being is heading and what this means for research, policy, and practice.

Parts of this chapter have previously been published as Axford (2008, 2012), Axford and Hobbs (2010), Axford et al. (2012a), and Hobbs et al. (2010).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 1,799.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 3,499.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Akee, R. (2007). Errors in self-reported earnings: The role of pervious earnings volatility. Bonn: Institute for the Study of Labor.

    Google Scholar 

  • Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2010). Early warning! Why reading by the end of the third grade matters: A kids count special report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Baltimore: Annie E. Casey Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2011) State profiles of child well-being; 2011 Kids count data book. Baltimore; Annie E Casey Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Argyle, M. (2000). Are there national differences in happiness? Unpublished paper, Third conference of the international society for quality of life studies, Girona, 20–22 July 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arthur, M. W., Briney, J. S., Hawkins, J. D., Abbott, R. D., Brooke-Weiss, B. L., & Catalano, R. F. (2007). Measuring risk and protection in communities using the communities that care youth survey. Evaluation and Program Planning, 30(2), 197–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Axford, N. (2008/2012). Exploring concepts of child well-being: Implications for policy and practice. Bristol: Policy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Axford, N. (2010). What’s in a service? Child & Family Social Work, 15(4), 473–482.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Axford, N., & Hobbs, T. (2010). Getting the measure of child health and development outcomes (1): A method for use in children’s service settings. Child Indicators Research, 4(1), 59–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Axford, N., Hobbs, T., & Jodrell, D. (2012a). Making child well-being data work hard: Getting from data to policy and practice. Child Indicators Research. doi:10.1007/s12187-012-9163-5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Axford, N., Elliott, D. S., & Little, M. (2012b). Blueprints for Europe: Promoting evidence-based programmes in children’s services. Psychosocial Intervention, 21(2), 205–214.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barth, R. P., Lee, B. R., Lindsey, M. A., Collins, K. S., Strieder, F., Chorpita, B. F., Becker, K. D., & Sparks, J. A. (2012). Evidence-based practice at a crossroads: The timely emergence of common elements and common factors. Research on Social Work Practice, 22(1), 109–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • BCC (Birmingham City Council). (2007). Brighter futures. Birmingham: BCC

    Google Scholar 

  • Ben-Arieh, A., Kaufman, N. H., Andrews, A. B., Goerge, R. M., Lee, B. J., & Aber, J. L. (2001). Measuring and monitoring children’s well-being. Dordrecht: Kluwer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ben-Arieh, A. (1997) Introduction: measuring and monitoring the state of children. In A. Ben-Arieh, & H. Wintersberger. (Eds.), Monitoring and measuring the state of children: Beyond survival. Proceedings of an International Workshop, Jerusalem, Israel, 22-25 Jan 1996. Vienna: European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ben-Arieh, A. (2010). Developing indicators for child well-being in a changing context. In C. McAuley & W. Rose (Eds.), Child well-being: Understanding children’s lives. London: Jessica Kingsley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bertrand, M., & Mullainathan, S. (2001). Do people mean what they say? Implications for subjective survey data. Working paper. Cambridge, MA: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

    Google Scholar 

  • Berzin, S. (2006). Using sibling data to understand the impact of family group decision- making on child welfare outcomes. Child and Youth Services Review, 28(12), 1449–1458.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bickman, L., Douglas Kelley, S., Breda, C., Regina de Andrade, A., & Riemer, M. (2011). Effects of routine feedback to clinicians on mental health outcomes of youths: Results of a randomised trial. Psychiatric Services, 62(12), 1423–1429.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biglan, A., Brennan, P. A., Foster, S. L., & Holder, H. D. (2004). Helping adolescents at risk: Prevention of multiple problem behaviors. New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bliss, C. (1996). Economics of the environment. In A. Offer (Ed.), In pursuit of the quality of life. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blore, J., Stokes, M., Mellor, D., Frith, L., & Cummins, R. (2011). Comparing multiple discrepancies theory to affective model of subjective well-being. Social Indicators Research, 100(1), 1–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Botvin, G. J., & Griffin, K. W. (2004). Life skills training: Empirical findings and future directions. Journal of Primary Prevention, 25(2), 211–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowling, A. (1997). Measuring health: A review of quality of life measurement scales (2nd ed.). Buckingham: Open University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradshaw, J. (2011). Introduction. In J. Bradshaw (Ed.), The well-being of children in the UK (3rd ed.). Bristol: Policy Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bradshaw, J., & Williams, J. (2000). Adult poverty in Britain. In D. Gordon, L. Adelman, K. Ashworth, J. Bradshaw, R. Levitas, S. Middleton, C. Pantazis, D. Patsios, S. Payne, P. Townsend, & J. Williams (Eds.), Poverty and social exclusion in Britain. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradshaw, J., Hoelscher, P., & Richardson, D. (2007). An index of child well-being in the European Union. Social Indicators Research, 80, 133–177.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bradshaw, J., Rees, G., Keung, A., & Goswami, H. (2010). The subjective well-being of children. In C. McAuley & W. Rose (Eds.), Child well-being: Understanding children’s lives. London: Jessica Kingsley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradshaw, J., & Keung, A. (2011a). Subjective well-being and mental health. In J. Bradshaw (Ed.), The well-being of children in the UK (3rd ed.). Bristol: Policy Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bradshaw, J., & Keung, A. (2011b). Trends in child subjective well-being in the UK. Journal of Children’s Services, 6(1), 4–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bradshaw, J., Keung, A., Rees, G., & Goswami, H. (2011). Children’s subjective well-being: International comparative perspectives. Children and Youth Services Review, 33, 548–556.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bradshaw, J., Noble, M., Bloor, K., Huby, M., McLennan, D., Rhodes, D., Sinclair, I., & Wilkinson, K. (2009). A child well-being index at small area level in England. Child Indicators Research, 2(2), 201–219.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bradshaw, J., & Richardson, D. (2009). An index of child well-being in Europe. Child Indicators Research, 2(3), 319–351.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bramley, G. (1997). Poverty and local public services. In D. Gordon & C. Pantazis (Eds.), Breadline Britain in the 1990s. Aldershot: Ashgate.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brock, D. (1993). Quality of life measures in healthcare and medical ethics. In M. C. Nussbaum & A. Sen (Eds.), The quality of life. Oxford: Clarendon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brooks, A.-M., Hanafin, S., & Langford, S. (2010). National reporting on child well-being: The state of the nation’s children reports in the Republic of Ireland. In C. McAuley & W. Rose (Eds.), Child well-being: Understanding children’s lives. London: Jessica Kingsley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, I., Renwick, R., & Nagler, M. (1996). The centrality of quality of life in health promotion and rehabilitation. In R. Renwick, I. Brown, & M. Nagler (Eds.), Quality of life in health promotion and rehabilitation: Conceptual approaches, issues, and applications. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brunwasser, M., Gillham, J. E., & Kim, E. S. (2009). A meta-analytic review of the Penn Resiliency Program’s effect on depressive symptoms. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77(6), 1042.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Calman, K. C. (1984). Quality of life in cancer patients: An hypothesis. Journal of Medical Ethics, 10, 124–127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, A., Converse, P. E., & Rodgers, W. L. (1976). The quality of American life. New York: Russell Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Casas, F., Sarriera, J., Alfarom, J., Gonzalez, M., Malo, S., Bertran, I., Figuer, C., da Cruz, D., Bedin, L., Paradiso, A., Weinreich, K., & Valdenegro, B. (2012). Testing the personal wellbeing index on 12 to 16 year-old adolescents in 3 different countries with 2 new items. Social Indicators Research, 105(3), 461–482.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cash, S. J., Ingram, S. D., Biben, D. S., McKeever, S. J., Thompson, R. W., & Ferrell, J. Z. (2012). Moving forward without looking back: Performance management systems as real-time evidence-based practice tools. Children and Youth Services Review, 34(4), 655–659.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Catalano, R. F., & Hawkins, J. D. (1996). The social development model: A theory of antisocial behavior. In J. D. Hawkins (Ed.), Delinquency and crime: Current theories (pp. 149–197). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cialdini, R., Kallgren, C., & Reno, R. (1991). A focus theory of normative conduct: A theoretical refinement an reevaluation of the role of norms in human behavior. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 24, 201–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, A. E., & Oswald, A. J. (1995). Satisfaction and Comparison Income, Unpublished Paper, London School of Economics

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, G. A. (1993). Equality of what? On welfare, goods and capability. In M. C. Nussbaum & A. Sen (Eds.), The quality of life. Oxford: Clarendon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Collishaw, S., Maughan, B., Goodman, R., & Pickles, A. (2004). Time trends in adolescent mental health. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45(8), 1350–1362.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Colman, I., Murray, J., Abbott, R. A., Maughan, B., Kuh, D., Croudace, T. J., & Jone, P. B. (2009). Outcomes of conduct problems in adolescence: 40 year follow-up of national cohort. British Medical Journal. doi:10.1136/bmj.a2981.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crisp, R. (2008). Well-being. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy (Winter 2008 Edition). http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2008/entries/well-being/. Accessed 27 Sep 2012.

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Activity, experience and personal growth. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cummins, R. A. (2009). Subjective well-being, homeostatically protected mood and depression: A synthesis. Journal of Happiness Studies, 10(6), 1–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cummins, R. A. (1997). Assessing quality of life. In R. I. Brown (Ed.), Quality of life for people with disabilities: Models, research and practice (2nd ed.). Cheltenham: Stanley Thornes.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cummins, M. E., & Lau, A. L. D. (2004). Personal Wellbeing index – school children (PWI-SC). Melbourne: Deakin University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dasgupta, P. (1993). An inquiry into well-being and destitution. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Day, H., & Jankey, S. G. (1996). Lessons from the literature: Toward a holistic model of quality of life. In R. Renwick, I. Brown, & M. Nagler (Eds.), Quality of life in health promotion and rehabilitation: Conceptual approaches, issues, and applications. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Delle Fave, A., & Massimini, F. (2005). The relevance of subjective well-being to social policies: Optimal experience and tailored intervention. In F. Huppert, N. Baylis, & B. Keverne (Eds.), The science of well-being. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E. (1993). Most Americans are happy. Unpublished manuscript, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois. Cited in Ryfe, C. D., & Keyes, C. L. M. (1995). ‘The structure of psychological well-being revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69(4), 719–727.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E. (2009). Subjective well-being. Behavioral Science, 37, 11–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., & Suh, E. M. (1997). Measuring quality of life: Economic, social and subjective indicators. Social Indicators Research, 40(1), 189–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., Sapyta, J. J., & Suh, E. M. (1998). Subjective well-being is essential to well-being. Psychological Enquiry, 9(1), 33–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., Suh, E. M., Lucas, R. E., & Smith, H. L. (1999). Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125(2), 276–302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dolan, P., Peasgood, T., & White, M. (2008). Do we really know what makes us happy? A review of the economic literature on the factors associated with subjective well-being. Journal of Economic Psychology, 29, 94–122.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doyal, L., & Gough, I. (1991). A theory of human need. Basingstoke: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drèze, J., & Sen, A. (1989). Hunger and public action. Oxford: Clarendon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The impact of enhancing student’s social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405–432.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eid, M., & Larsen, R. J. (Eds.). (2008). The science of subjective well-being. New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eiser, C., Mohay, H., & Morse, R. (2000a). The measurement of quality of life in young children. Child: Care, Health and Development, 26(5), 401–413.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eiser, C., Vance, Y. H., & Seamark, D. (2000b). The development of a theoretically driven generic measure of quality of life for children aged 6–12 years: A preliminary report. Child: Care, Health and Development, 26(6), 445–456.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fagan, A. A., Hawkins, J. D., & Catalano, R. F. (2008). Using community epidemiologic data to improve social settings: The communities that care prevention system. In M. Shin (Ed.), Toward positive youth development: Transforming schools and community programs (pp. 292–312). Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Fattore, T., Mason, J., & Watson, E. (2009). When children are asked about their wellbeing: Towards a framework for guiding policy. Child Indicators Research, 2, 57–77.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fergusson, D. M., Horwood, L. J., & Ridder, E. M. (2005). Show me the child at seven: The consequences of conduct problems in childhood for psychosocial functioning in adulthood. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 46(8), 837–849.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferrer-i-Carbonell, A. (2005). Income and well-being: An empirical analysis of the comparison income effect. Journal of Public Economics, 89(5–6), 997–10987.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fitzpatrick, R. (1996). Alternative approaches to the assessment of health-related quality of life. In A. Offer (Ed.), In pursuit of the quality of life. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flanagan, J. (1978). A research approach to improving our quality of life. American Psychologist, 33, 138–147.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Funk, J., Hagan, J., & Schimming, J. (1999). Children and electronic games: A comparison of parents’ and children’s perceptions of children’s habits and preferences in a United States sample. Psychological Report, 85(3), 883–888.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gasper, D. (2004). Human well-being: Concepts and conceptualizations. Discussion Paper 2004/06. Helsinki: World Institute for Development Economics Research, (WIDER), United Nations University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gillham, J., Adams-Deutsch, Z., Werner, J., Reivich, K., Coulter-Heindl, V., Linkins, M., Winder, B., Peterson, C., Park, N., Abenavoli, R., Contero, A., & Seligman, M. (2011). Character strengths predict subjective well-being during adolescence. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 6(1), 31–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, R. (1997). The strengths and difficulties questionnaire: A research note. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 38, 581–586.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gordon, D., & Spicker, P. (Eds.). (1999). The international glossary on poverty. London: Zed Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gordon, D., Adelman, K., Ashworth, J., Bradshaw, R., Levitas, S., Middleton, C., et al. (2000). Poverty and social exclusion in Britain. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gottlieb, D., & Bronstein, P. (1996). Parents’ perceptions of children’s worries in a changing world. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 157(1), 104–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graham, P., Stevenson, J., & Flynn, D. (1997). A new measure of health-related quality of life for children: Preliminary findings. Psychological Health, 12, 655–665.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graham, C., Eggers, A., & Sukhtankar, S. (2004). Does happiness pay? An exploration based on panel data from Russia. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 55(3), 319–342.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenberg, M. T., & Kusché, C. (2002). Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS). Blueprints for Violence Prevention Book 10. Boulder: Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, University of Colorado.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenberg, M. T., & Harris, A. R. (2012). Nurturing mindfulness in children and youth: Current state of research. Child Development Perspectives, 6(2), 161–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greenberg, M. T., Domitrovich, C., & Bumbarger, B. (1999). Preventing mental disorders in school-aged children: A review of the effectiveness of prevention programmes. Report for Center for Mental Health Services. Washington, DC: US Department of Health and Human Services.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, J. D., & Weis, J. G. (1985). The social development model: An integrated approach to delinquency prevention. Journal of Primary Prevention, 6(2), 73–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, J. D., Catalano, R. F., & Miller, J. Y. (1992). Risk and protective factors for alcohol and other drug problems in adolescence and early adulthood: Implications for substance abuse prevention. Psychological Bulletin, 112(1), 64–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins, J. D., Brown, E. C., Oesterle, S., Arthur, M. W., Abbott, R. D., & Catalano, R. F. (2008). Early effects of communities that care on targeted risks and initiation of delinquent behavior and substance use. The Journal of Adolescent Health, 43, 15–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, M., & Tisdall, K. (1997). Children and society. London: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hills, P., & Argyle, M. (2002). The Oxford happiness questionnaire: A compact scale for the measurement of psychological well-being. Personality and Individual Differences, 25(3), 523–535.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hobbs, T., Axford, N., & Jodrell, D. (2010). Getting the measure of child health and development outcomes (2): The picture for a local authority in England. Child Indicators Research, 4(1), 81–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hobbs, T., & Elliott, D. S. (2013). Key developmental outcomes: Conceptual and empirical support. Unpublished paper for the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hopkins, A. (1992). Editor’s introduction. In A. Hopkins (Ed.), Measures of the quality of life: And the uses to which such measures may be put. London: Royal College of Physicians of London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huebner, E. S., Laughlin, J. E., Ash, C., & Gilman, R. (1998). Further validation of the multidimensional students’ life satisfaction scale. Journal of Psychological Assessment, 16, 118–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huppert, F. A. (2005). Positive mental health in individuals and populations. In F. Huppert, N. Baylis, & B. Keverne (Eds.), The science of well-being. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • ICPQOL (Independent Commission on Population and Quality of Life). (1996). Caring for the future: Making the next decades provide a life worth living. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • James, A., & Prout, A. (Eds.). (1997). Constructing and reconstructing childhood: Contemporary issues in the sociological study of childhood (2nd ed.). London: The Falmer Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jordan, B. (2006). Well-being: The next revolution in children’s services? Journal of Children’s Services, 1(1), 41–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jordan, B. (2008). Welfare and well-being. Bristol: Policy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kosterman, R., Hawkins, J. D., Mason, W. A., Herrenkohl, T. I., Lengua, L. J., & McCauley, E. (2009). Assessment of behavior problems in childhood and adolescence as predictors of early adult depression. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 32(1), 118–127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kueger, A., & Schkade, D. (2008). The reliability of subjective well-being measures. Journal of Public Economics, 92(8–9), 1833–1845.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lane, R. E. (1996). Quality of life and quality of persons: A new role for government? In A. Offer (Ed.), In pursuit of the quality of life. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lane, R. E. (2000). The loss of happiness in market democracies. New Haven: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Layard, R. (2003). Income and happiness: Rethinking economic policy. Unpublished paper, London School of Economics

    Google Scholar 

  • Layard, R. (2005). Happiness: Lessons from a new science. London: Allen Lane.

    Google Scholar 

  • Layard, R. (2010). Measuring subjective well-being. Science, 327(5965), 534–535.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leach, P. (1994). Children first: What we must do – and are not doing – for our children today. London: Michael Joseph.

    Google Scholar 

  • Little, M., Axford, N., & Morpeth, L. (2004). Research review: Risk and protection in the context of services for children in need. Child and Family Social Work, 9, 105–117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Little, M., Berry, V., Morpeth, L., Blower, S., Axford, N., Taylor, R., Bywater, T., Lehtonen, M, & Tobin, K. (2012). The impact of three evidence-based programmes delivered in public systems in Birmingham, UK. International Journal of Conflict and Violence, 6(2), 260–272.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lucas, R. E., Diener, E., & Suh, E. M. (1996). Discriminant validity of well-being measures. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71(3), 616–628.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MacGillivray, A., & Zadek, S. (1995). Accounting for change: Indicators for sustainable development. London: New Economics Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayall, B. (2002). Towards a sociology of childhood: Thinking from children’s lives. Buckingham: Open University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCartney, K., & Rosenthal, R. (2000). Effect size, practical importance, and social policy for children. Child Development, 71(1), 173–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKay, S., & Collard, S. (2004). Developing deprivation questions for the family resources survey. London: DWP Working Paper No. 13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mendelson, T., Greenberg, M. T., Dariotis, J., Feagans-Gould, L., Rhoades, B., & Leaf, P. (2010). Feasibility and preliminary outcomes of a school-based mindfulness intervention for urban youth. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 38, 985–994.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Michalos, A. C. (1986). Job satisfaction, marital satisfaction, and the quality of life: A review and a preview. In F. M. Andrews (Ed.), Research on the quality of life. Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Micklewright, J., & Stewart, K. (1999). Is child welfare converging in the European Union? Innocenti Occasional Papers, Economic and Social Policy Series 69. Florence: UNICEF International Child Development Centre.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miles, S., & Stipek, D. (2006). Contemporaneous and longitudinal associations between social behavior and literacy in a sample of low-income elementary school children. Child Development, 77(1), 103–117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, D. (1999). Principles of social justice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, P. F. (2011). Evidence-based practice in real-world services for young people with complex needs: New opportunities suggested by recent implementation science. Children and Youth Services Review, 33, 207–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moffitt, T. (1993). Adolescent-limited and life-course persistent antisocial behaviour: A developmental taxonomy. Pyschological Review, 100, 674–701.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, K. A., & Keyes, C. L. M. (2003). A brief history of the study of well-being in children and adults. In M. H. Bornstein, L. Davidson, C. L. M. Keyes, & K. A. Moore (Eds.), Well-being: Positive development across the life-course. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muldoon, M. F., Barger, S. D., Flory, J. D., & Manuck, S. B. (1998). What are quality of life measurements measuring? British Medical Journal, 316, 542–545.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murray, J., & Farrington, D. (2010). Risk factors for conduct disorder and delinquency: Key findings from longitudinal studies. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 55(10), 633–642.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murray, J., Irving, B., Farrington, D. P., Colman, I., & Bloxsom, C. A. J. (2010). Very early predictors of conduct problems and crime: Results from a national cohort study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 5(11), 1198–1207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Najman, J. M., & Levine, S. (1981). Evaluating the impact of medical care and technologies on the quality of life: A review and critique. Social Science & Medicine, 15F, 107–115.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Research Council. (1998). Preventing reading difficulties in young children. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norberg-Hodge, H. (1996). The pressure to modernise and globalise. In J. Mander & E. Goldsmith (Eds.), The case against the global economy (and for a turn toward the local). San Francisco: Sierra Club Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nussbaum, M. (1995). Human capabilities, female human-beings. In M. Nussbaum & J. Glover (Eds.), Women, culture and development: A study of human capabilities. Oxford: Clarendon.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Nussbaum, A. C., & Sen, A. (1993). Introduction. In M. C. Nussbaum & A. Sen (Eds.), The quality of life. Oxford: Clarendon.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Oesterle, S., Hawkins, J. D., Catalano, R. F., Fagan, A. A., & Abbott, R. D. (2010). Testing the universality of the effects of the communities that care prevention system for preventing adolescent drug use and delinquency. Prevention Science, 11, 411–423.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Offer, A. (1996). Introduction. In A. Offer (Ed.), In pursuit of the quality of life. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • ONS (Office for National Statistics). (2000). Social inequalities 2000 Edition. London: Stationery Office

    Google Scholar 

  • Oswald, A., & Wu, S. (2010). Objective confirmation of subjective measures of human well-being: Evidence from the U.S. Science, 327(5965), 576–579.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pantazis, C., & Gordon, D. (1997). Poverty and health. In D. Gordon & C. Pantazis (Eds.), Breadline Britain in the 1990s. Aldershot: Ashgate.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pantazis, C., Gordon, D., & Levitas, R. (2006). Poverty and social exclusion in Britain: The millennium survey. Bristol: The Policy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parker, R. (1990). Away from home: A history of childcare. Barkingside: Barnardo’s.

    Google Scholar 

  • Payne, S. (2006). Mental health, poverty and social exclusion. In C. Pantazis, D. Gordon, & R. Levitas (Eds.), Poverty and social exclusion in Britain: The millennium survey. Bristol: Policy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Porta, M. (2008). A dictionary of epidemiology (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raphael, D. (1996). Defining quality of life: Eleven debates concerning its measurement. In R. Renwick, I. Brown, & M. Nagler (Eds.), Quality of life in health promotion and rehabilitation: Conceptual approaches, issues, and applications. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ravens-Sieberer, U., Gosch, A., Abel, T., Auquire, P., Bellach, B., Bruil, J., et al. (2001). Quality of life in children and adolescents: A European public health perspective. Social and Preventative Medicine, 46(5), 294–302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rawls, J. (1971). A theory of justice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rees, G., Bradshaw, J., Goswami, H., & Keung, A. (2010). Understanding children’s well-being: A national survey of young people’s well-being. London: The Children’s Society.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rees, G., Goswami, H., Pople, L., Bradshaw, J., Keung, A., & Main, G. (2012). The good childhood report 2012: A review of our children’s well-being. London: The Children’s Society.

    Google Scholar 

  • Renwick, R., & Brown, I. (1996). The centre for health promotion’s conceptual approach to quality of life: Being, belonging, and becoming. In R. Renwick, I. Brown, & M. Nagler (Eds.), Quality of life in health promotion and rehabilitation: Conceptual approaches, issues, and applications. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Renwick, R., Brown, I., & Nagler, M. (1996). Quality of life in health promotion and rehabilitation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richter, J., Sagatun, A., Heyerdahl, S., Oppedal, B., & Roysamb, E. (2011). The strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) – self-report. An analysis of its structure in a multiethnic urban adolescent sample. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 52(9), 1002–1011.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ringen, S. (1987). The possibility of politics. Oxford: Clarendon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roche, J. (2001). Quality of life for children. In P. Foley, J. Roche, & S. Tucker (Eds.), Children in society: Theory, policy and practice. Basingstoke: Palgrave.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, R. J. (1995). Environmental and health-related quality of life: Conceptual and methodological similarities. Social Science and Medicine, 41(10), 1373–1382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roker, D. (1998). Worth more than this: Young people growing up in poverty. Brighton: Trust for the Study of Adolescence.

    Google Scholar 

  • Romanov, D., & Gubman, Y. (2012). Well-being and measurement error of income reported in a social survey vs. income recoded by a tax administration, Paper prepared for the 32nd General conference of the International Association for Research in Income and Wealth. Boston, USA August 5–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rose, G. (1992) The strategy of preventive medicine. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rose, W., & Rowlands, J. (2010). Introducing the concept of child well-being into government policy. In C. McAuley & W. Rose (Eds.), Child well-being: Understanding children’s lives. London: Jessica Kingsley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowan, P. (1980). What sort of life? Windsor: NFER.

    Google Scholar 

  • Runciman, W. G. (1966). Relative deprivation and social justice: A study of attitudes to social inequality in twentieth century. London: Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryff, C. D., & Keyes, C. L. M. (1995). The structure of psychological well-being revisited. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69(4), 719–727.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saporiti, A. (1999). Statistics on childhood. In E. Verhellen (Ed.), Understanding children’s rights: Collected papers presented at the fourth international interdisciplinary course on children’s rights, Dec 1999. Belgium: University of Ghent.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scanlon, T. (1993). Value, desire, and quality of life. In M. C. Nussbaum & A. Sen (Eds.), The quality of life. Oxford: Clarendon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schluter, M., & Lee, D. (1993). The R factor. London: Hodder and Stoughton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schluter, M., & Lee, D. (Eds.). (2002). The R option: Building relationships as a better way of life. Cambridge: The Relationships Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Searle, B. A. (2008). Well-being: In search of a good life? Bristol: Policy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sellström, E., & Bremberg, S. (2006). The significance of neighborhood context to child and adolescent health and well-being: A systematic review of multilevel studies. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 34(5), 544–554.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sen, A. (1982). Choice, welfare and measurement. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sen, A. (1985). Rights and capabilities. In T. Honderich (Ed.), Morality and objectivity. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sen, A. (1993). Capability and well-being. In M. C. Nussbaum & A. Sen (Eds.), The quality of life. Oxford: Clarendon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sen, A. (1999). Development as freedom. New York: Anchor Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shek, D. T. L. (1998). A longitudinal study of Hong Kong adolescents’ and parents’ perceptions of family functioning and well-being. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 159(4), 389–403.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sheldon, K. M., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2004). Achieving sustainable new happiness: Prospects, practices and prescriptions. In P. A. Linley & S. Joseph (Eds.), Positive psychology in practice. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skevington, S. M., & Gillison, F. B. (2006). Assessing children’s quality of life in health and social services: Meeting challenge and adding value. Journal of Children’s Services, 1(2), 41–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Slevin, M. L., Plant, H., Lynch, D., & Colleagues. (1988). Who should measure quality of life, the doctor or the patient? British Journal of Cancer, 57, 109–112.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sodergren, S. C., & Hyland, M. E. (2000). What are the positive consequences of illness? Psychological Health, 15, 85–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Social Research Unit. (2012). Results from renfrewshire phase 2 local authority survey. Unpublished paper. Dartington: Social Research Unit.

    Google Scholar 

  • Soper, K. (1993). A theory of human need. New Left Review, 197, 113–128.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spieth, L. E., & Harris, C. V. (1996). Assessment of health-related quality of life in children and adolescents: An integrative review. Journal of Paediatric Psychology, 21, 175–194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suldo, S., Thalji, A., & Ferron, J. (2011). Longitudinal academic outcomes predicted by early adolescent’s subjective well-being, psychopathology and mental health satisfaction yielded from a duel factor model. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 6(1), 17–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sundell, K., & Vinnerljung, B. (2004). Outcome of family group conferencing in Sweden: A 3-year follow-up. Child Abuse & Neglect, 28(3), 267–287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sweeting, H. (2001). Our family, whose perspective? An investigation of children’s family life and health. Journal of Adolescence, 24(2), 229–250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tamir, P., Welch, W., & Rakow, S. (1985). The influence of science class attitudes and teacher image on student outcomes. Journal of Research and Development in Education, 18, 26–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tay, L., & Diener, E. (2011). Needs and subjective well-being around the world. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(2), 354–365.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tennant, R., Hiller, L., Fishwick, R., Platt, S., Joseph, S., Weich, S., parkinson, J., Secker, J., & Stewart-Brown, S. (2007). The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS): development and UK validation. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 5, 63 (2007). doi:10.1186/1477-7525-5-63.

    Google Scholar 

  • The KIDSCREEN Group Europe. (2006). The KIDSCREEN questionnaires: Quality of life questionnaires for children and adolescents. Berlin: Pabst Science Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tinkler, L., & Hicks, S. (2011). Measuring subjective well-being. London: Office for National Statistics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trzcinski, E., & Holst, E. (2008). Subjective well-being among young people in transition to adulthood. Social Indicators Research, 87(1), 83–109.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre. (2010). The children left behind: A league table of inequality in child well-being in the world’s rich countries. Report Card 9. Florence: UNICEF.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van der As, N., Boomsma, D., Rebollo-Mesa, I., Hubziak, J., & Bartels, M. (2010). An moderation of genetic factors by parental divorce in adolescents evaluations of family functioning and subjective wellbeing. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 13(2), 143–162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vance, Y. H., Morse, R. C., Jenney, M. E., & Eiser, C. (2001). Issues in measuring quality of life in childhood cancer: Measures, proxies, and parental mental health. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 42(5), 661–667.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Veenhoven, R. (1984). Conditions of happiness. Dodrecht: D. Reidel Publishing.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Webster-Stratton, C. (2007). The incredible years parent training manual: BASIC program (3rd ed.). Seattle: Incredible Years.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weissberg, R. P., Kumpfer, K. L., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2003). Prevention that works for children and youth: An introduction. American Psychologist, 58(6/7), 425–432.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whiteley, P., Clarke, H. D., Sanders, D., & Stewart, M. C. (2010). Government performance and life satisfaction in contemporary Britain. The Journal of Politics, 72(3), 733–746.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • WHOQOL Group. (1993). Measuring quality of life: The development of the World Health Organisation Quality of Life Instrument (WHOQOL). Geneva: World Health Organisation.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Social Research Unit, Lower Hood Barn, Dartington, UK

    Dr. Nick Axford, David Jodrell & Dr. Tim Hobbs

Authors
  1. Dr. Nick Axford
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. David Jodrell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Dr. Tim Hobbs
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nick Axford .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

    Asher Ben-Arieh

  2. Research Institute of Quality of Life, University of Girona, Girona, Spain

    Ferran Casas

  3. Department of Sociology and Human Geography, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Ivar Frønes

  4. Department of Anthropology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Jill E. Korbin

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this entry

Cite this entry

Axford, N., Jodrell, D., Hobbs, T. (2014). Objective or Subjective Well-Being?. In: Ben-Arieh, A., Casas, F., Frønes, I., Korbin, J. (eds) Handbook of Child Well-Being. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9063-8_108

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9063-8_108

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-9062-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-90-481-9063-8

  • eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation